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Hardcore KTM 790 Adventure R Rally revealed!

Published: 18 June 2019
How'd you fancy doing this on KTM's new 790 Adventure Rally?
How'd you fancy doing this on KTM's new 790 Adventure Rally?
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If you thought KTM’s excellent new middleweight adventure bike was nice, but not serious enough – even in R trim – then how about this new 790 Adventure R Rally edition?

The range-topping new model is limited to 500 units worldwide, making it an instant collector’s item for adventure motorcycle magpies – with only a handful of bikes likely to reach UK shores.

Aimed at riders who “demand the most hardcore performance and the very best suspension available,” the new Rally is certainly special – but owners of the existing R model needn’t feel too aggrieved. While they can’t replicate the specialness of the Rally model outright, the majority of the parts are already in KTM’s Power Parts catalogue.

The limited edition uses the same steel trellis chassis and the 95bhp LC8c parallel twin engine, but in place of the standard model’s capable WP kit is a set of the firm’s race-spec XPLOR PRO suspension. That means an additional 30mm of travel to help committed riders clear even the most awkward obstacles. The downside comes for the shorter legged, with the seat height rising to 910mm as a result.

Up front there’s an XPLOR PRO 7548 cone valve fork that offers a huge range of damping performance, combining ride comfort with excellent bottoming-out resistance.
At the rear is an XPLOR PRO 6746 shock absorber with progressive damping system (PDS) designed to match the fork’s performance.

The Rally also gets a lighter Akrapovic exhaust, carbon fibre tank protectors and Quickshifter+, as well as its own graphics package, a clear screen and winglets. It also comes with narrower rims fitted with tubes, a straight racing seat and Rally footrests for improved comfort and stability when stood up.

KTM haven’t revealed pricing details, but we’d expect it to cost less than the sum of its Power Parts – but still be a several thousand pound premium over the £11,999 790 R. It’s expected to arrive in Spring 2020.

What’s the point of the KTM 790 Adventure R Rally? “Because we can…”

Hubert Trunkenpolz, CMO at KTM AG, said “Quite simply, we’ve built the KTM 790 Adventure R Rally because we can!

“We have the equipment at our disposal and we know how to make a truly special bike for our hardcore customers.”

We’re promised suspension “close to the same level used by the Dakar-winning Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Rally team on the 450 Rally”.

Sounds like quite the trail-trashing tearaway, then. Keep an eye out for the full KTM 790 Adventure R Rally review coming soon on MCN.

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By Richard Newland

Group Editor - With over 40 years of riding experience and 21 years as a bike journalist, Rich has ridden nearly every new bike of the past two decades and many historical models dating back to the 1930s. He is particularly passionate about sportsbikes from the 1990s and early 2000s, and he loves big bikes that handle well and are suited for long-distance travel. Rich enjoys challenging rides, such as a non-stop 1703.5-mile trip from Land’s End to John O’Groats and back. In his personal collection, Rich owns a 2007 Honda VTR1000 SP-2, a 1998 Ducati 996, a 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750 ‘Slabby’, a 1998 VFR800FiW, and a 1975 Honda CB750 SOHC Dunstall.